Gun owners have lamented that even with a Republican president and a Republican majority in Congress, they have been unable to fully neuter the National Firearms Act. A newly released House appropriation bill provides the mechanism to not only do just that, but also to generate other lasting Second Amendment-related wins, if it passes with its current language.
Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) said, “The legislation also protects and reinforces constitutional rights such as the Second Amendment by reining in and refocusing the ATF and fully supporting DOJ’s new Second Amendment Section.” The Second Amendment Section was formally announced by AAG Harmeet Dhillon in December of 2025.
The April 29 “House Appropriations Committee’s FY2027 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill” does not yet have a number, but its pro-2A measures are largely attributable to Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), who is a staunch Second Amendment supporter and widely lauded by gun rights groups.
The measure addressing 2027 fiscal year spending was approved today, April 30, by the subcommittee and next moves to the Full House Appropriations Committee for markup, scheduled for May 13, 2026.
The Appropriations Committee official summary describes the bill as, “Supporting and reinforcing Second Amendment rights by prohibiting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF’s) rules that target otherwise lawful gun ownership, such as the Biden-era rules on pistol braces.”
It states four goals directly related to the ATF:
- Prohibits the use of funds to enforce numerous ATF rules, including Biden-era rulemakings on pistol braces.
- Addresses ATF’s harassment of Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs).
- Conditions ATF funding on meaningful reductions in National Firearms Act processing times.
- Prohibits Out of Business Records imaging.
The committee reduced the ATF budget by $285 million (or 17.9%), rejecting President Trump’s request for an increase.
In an April 29 X post, Gun Owners of America characterized the bill as “deregulating” suppressors and short barrels and “defunding” the pistol brace rule along with “delet[ing]” the ATF registry, which has nearly one billion records, by their own admission.
The $200 tax stamp for NFA items was struck with the passing of the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” in July of 2025. Meanwhile, gun rights groups have launched at least three major lawsuits challenging the NFA, with the most recent lawsuit addressing it from the angle of the Interstate Commerce Clause. The DOJ continues to defend NFA-restricted items, like suppressors, in ongoing lawsuits.
